The second half of the 2015 college football season is just about to begin, but a bunch of supposed College Football Playoff contenders are already out of the race. The prime examples are the two Los Angeles teams, USC and UCLA, who are both unranked but are still favored at home this week against No. 3 Utah and No. 24 Cal.
Those are just two of the top five games to watch in Week 8 of college football action, which also includes possible shootouts in the ACC and Big 12. Let’s take a quick look at what makes those five games so intriguing, and what to expect in terms of a result.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Two golden-haired quarterbacks will take center stage in this battle of Golden State schools. Jared Goff, Cal’s junior QB who’s emerging as a potential NFL prospect, will look to bounce back after a horrific outing against Utah. Goff threw four first half interceptions (and five overall) as Cal dropped its first game of the year.
Meanwhile, Josh Rosen, UCLA’s stud freshman, must lead his Bruins back to the win column after back-to-back beat downs at the hands of Arizona State and Stanford. The Bruins were simply bullied in the line of scrimmage as they gave up a total of 502 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in the two games combined.
Writer’s Prediction: The Bruins (-3.5) beat the Golden Bears, 35-28.
Speaking of quarterback duels, the ACC will have a pretty good once as well. Clemson’s sophomore quarterback Deshaun Watson is coming off his best game of the season as he threw for 420 yards and three touchdowns against a Boston College defense that came in as the No. 1 team in the nation in total defense. With the win, Clemson improved to 6-0 on the season.
He’ll be going up against Miami’s own stud sophomore, Brad Kaaya, who is also having a stellar season. Kaaya leads the conference in passing yards per game (299.2) and has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 10:1. Earlier in the month, the Canes gave the ACC’s other undefeated team, Florida State, a scare as Kaay threw for 405 yards and three touchdowns in a close 29-24 loss in Tallahassee.
Writer’s Prediction: Clemson pulls off the win, 24-21, but Miami (+6.5) covers.
Looking for points? Well, the Big 12 showdown between Texas Tech and Oklahoma, who average 89 points between them this season, should deliver those in bunches. The Red Raiders, who were a miraculous last-gasp touchdown catch away from beating TCU a month ago, are coming off a very disappointing 30-20 road win against conference doormat Kansas.
The Sooners, meanwhile, are riding high after they pitched a 55-0 shutout at Kansas State. Quarterback Baker Mayfield was very impressive as he threw for 282 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. This game will have extra significance for Mayfield, who transferred from Texas Tech in 2014.
Oklahoma is 8-2 (7-3 ATS) in 10 home games against Texas Tech.
Writer’s Prediction: Oklahoma outduels Texas Tech, 48-35, but the Red Raiders (+14.5) cover.
The only matchup featuring two ranked teams this week isn’t as great as it looked a couple of weeks ago. Nevertheless, Texas A&M vs. Ole Miss is bound to be a pretty entertaining matchup with two of the most exciting players in college football on show.
A&M receiver Christian Kirk is the only freshman averaging 100 yards receiving per game this season. He’s also the nation’s leader in punt return average (25.09 yards per return) and scored his second punt return touchdown in the Aggies’ 41-23 loss to Alabama.
On the other side, Ole Miss wideout Laquon Treadwell is having a stellar campaign coming back from last season’s gruesome leg injury. Treadwell has topped 135 receiving yards in three of his last four games, including a 14-catch, 144-yard effort in a losing effort against Memphis.
Writer’s Prediction: The Aggies (+5.5) win, 33-27, on the road.
Utah maintained the Pac-12’s only remaining perfect record after breaking away from Arizona State. Devontae Booker sealed the deal with two fourth quarter touchdowns. But the Utes’ undefeated run will be in significant jeopardy as they head to Los Angeles as underdogs against USC.
The Trojans almost took down Notre Dame on the road in their first game under interim head coach Clay Helton, but Cody Kessler threw two costly fourth quarter interceptions. With three losses already this season, the Trojans have nothing to lose and a lot of talent, a scary combination that could lead to an “upset” of the No. 3 team in the nation.
Writer’s Prediction: The Trojans trip up No. 3 Utah, 35-32, but the Utes (+3.5) still cover.
